Screenwriting 2: Script Development (Non-credit)

Pre-requisites for enrolment

Students should have either a basic theoretical knowledge of screenwriting or some limited personal experience of writing scripts. It is an ideal continuation for those who have studied the Screenwriting - an Introduction to Writing for Film and TV course, but this is not a prerequisite.

Content of Course

1. Introduction: what do we already know?

2. Writing Conflict: the driver of drama.

3. Sequence Writing.

4. Scene Writing I.

5. Scene Writing II.

6. Dialogue Writing I.

7. Dialogue Writing II.

8. The art of subtext: adding depth to your script.

9. Visual Writing I.

10. Visual Writing II.

Teaching method(s)

Lectures, screenings and analysis of clips/script excerpts. Students will be given practical exercises to work on individually and in groups to master the skills demonstrated.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students should be able to:

• Identify and appreciate the complexities of a great original marketable screenplay.

• Develop an idea into a marketable story.

• Write with professional confidence.

• Write with genuine confidence and effect for film and television.

Sources

Core Readings

Recommended:

There are no essential texts for this course but the following are recommended as further optional reading:

• Edelstein, D.L.N. (2006) Writer’s Guide to Character Traits. 2nd Revised edition. Cincinnati, Ohio: Penguin Publishing Group.
• Gulino, P. (2004) Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach. New Ed edition. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
• Puglisi, B. and Ackerman, A. (2019) The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression. 2nd ed. edition. Place of publication not identified: JADD Publishing.

Web Sources

https://www.imsdb.com/ Internet Movie Script Database: professional movie scripts to download.

http://www.scriptslug.com Script Slug: more scripts to download and read.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/writers/scripts/ BBC Script Library: TV and radio scripts to download and read. 

Class Handouts

Back-up notes, information and practical guidelines will be handed out at every class.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.